Tag Archives: marvin windows

about a year ago we were on location shooting a short film at this construction site of our castro project. above is a stunt double taking a break during filming. (our film was nominated for 6 awards, and won best musical score). we had so much fun with this project: great clients we worked closely with to see each nook through to the final details. we are scheduling a professional photo shoot soon … the following is a look back toward the end of construction. above photo shows the options of painting the slim wood trim the same color as the Marvin window cladding (dark bronze) – or white. we chose the option on the left. in the living area we selected an Ortal corner gas fireplace, above which we had a challenge to locate a TV. the goal was to hide the TV but also to disguise the cabinet as much as possible so it didn’t scream ‘doors here!’. we designed a bi-fold / pocket door cabinet that operates on a Hawa track system. the very talented ‘wood whiz’ carpenter JB customized the track to fit the cabinet depth and built the doors with planks that wrap around the sides.the owners wanted the floors to have a rustic quality. we worked with Restoration Timber and settled on reclaimed plain sawn white oak, that has knots and worm-holes through it. they loved the look. we ordered an even mix of widths 3″ – 5″ – 7″. here is a thick redwood slab that the contractor had lying around, and the owners purchased from him for a bathroom sink counter. it worked perfectly in the room and contrasts well with the other finishes.the same wood worker JB who built the tv cabinet was originally brought in to build this wood slab counter for the island. it’s composed of solid 3″ thick white oak, also sourced by Restoration Timber. JB perfected it in his shop and installed it on site after the cabinets were in. white shaker cabinets are from Cabinets & Beyond. the concrete farmhouse-style sink is from Native Trails. other details, like the cabinet pulls from Rocky Mountain Hardware above. we found the new entry door at a local door shop, and it works with the exterior (it did get stained darker) and has a small peep-door built into it, to replace the one that was in the original front door. on the right, in a gabled part of the ceiling over a bay window, we clad the ceiling in painted lathe pulled from the house.

at the castro corner house, the new walls were framed in, and sheetrock is now being installed.

above is the rough framed new stair to the first floor. about 20′ of new concrete retaining wall was poured along the property line.

in the photo above, part of the concrete wall is thinner to allow for the stair landing in this location – every inch counts to make the stairs work, especially in these narrow san francisco lots!

here the 6′ tall new concrete is furred out to allow for bathroom plumbing to run inside. new johns-manville formaldehyde-free insulation (for better indoor air quality) fills the wall cavities where there was no insulation before…..the globe is warming but we’re using more insulation now than we did in 1940. 🙂 from this point looking over the new stairwell you can see through the lower hallway and to the new garden door. a nice peek to the rear yard without having to go downstairs.. a view along the floor toward the new built-in bench, and spot where the gas fireplace will go. it’s a corner fireplace by Ortal. pretty slick! can’t wait to see it. we’re further along than these pictures show; some cabinetry is installed, and we’re selecting final finishes now. stay tuned, more to come!